ξένος
xenos
foreign
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredThe Greek word ξένος (xenos) is defined as "foreign." It appears 14 times in the Bible, indicating its importance in conveying a sense of unfamiliarity or outsider status. In its various contexts, ξένος likely refers to individuals or groups who are not part of a particular community or culture. The usage of ξένος in the Bible suggests that it encompasses not only geographical or national differences but also social and cultural distinctions. It is used to describe people who are not part of a particular group, such as strangers, travelers, or outsiders. This word highlights the complexities of identity and belonging, emphasizing the idea that individuals can be connected to or disconnected from a particular community. The significance of ξένος lies in its ability to convey a sense of otherness, which can be both positive and negative. On one hand, ξένος can imply a sense of curiosity, openness, and hospitality, as seen in the biblical account of Abraham's treatment of strangers (Genesis 18:1-8). On the other hand, it can also suggest exclusion, fear, or suspicion, as seen in the biblical account of the Israelites' treatment of the Canaanites (Exodus 23:31-33).
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
14 total occurrences across the text
for I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in.
Matthew 25:38When did we see you as a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you?
Matthew 25:43I was a stranger, and you didn’t take me in; naked, and you didn’t clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’
Matthew 25:44“Then they will also answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and didn’t help you?’
Matthew 27:7They took counsel, and bought the potter’s field with them, to bury strangers in.
Acts 17:18Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also were conversing with him. Some said, “What does this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be advocating foreign deities,” because he preached Jesus and the resurrection.
Acts 17:21Now all the Athenians and the strangers living there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell or to hear some new thing.
Romans 16:23Gaius, my host and host of the whole assembly, greets you. Erastus, the treasurer of the city, greets you, as does Quartus, the brother.
Ephesians 2:12that you were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
Ephesians 2:19So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God,
Hebrews 11:13These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them and embraced them from afar, and having confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Hebrews 13:9Don’t be carried away by various and strange teachings, for it is good that the heart be established by grace, not by food, through which those who were so occupied were not benefited.
1 Peter 4:12Beloved, don’t be astonished at the fiery trial which has come upon you to test you, as though a strange thing happened to you.
3 John 1:5Beloved, you do a faithful work in whatever you accomplish for those who are brothers and strangers.